I often pride myself on the flexibility homeschooling brings, the freedom to bend our home’s learning, to do things differently. Go to a park in the middle of the day? Yes! Read books in our pajamas? Of course! School in the summertime or on the road or in a field with binoculars? Works for me. For all the freedom allowed us––a true privilege and point of gratitude––there are many details to keep tabs on as well. In the US, each state holds different expectations and requirements of homeschoolers, and if you are new to homeschooling or considering it, I recommend doing some research in your own area. Some states require attendance, lesson plans, portfolios, or state testing, and, if like us, you are approaching the university years, keeping tabs on a transcript is important, too. Regardless of the size of your home or your affinity for organizational systems, it is important that you create one that fits your home.

Last year, I felt myself swimming in loose ends and paper trails, too often asking or answering the question, “Have you seen ___?” There were too many bits and pieces that went unchecked last year simply because of the lack of organization. This year, I wanted a central, permanent spot for my children to hand-off their finished work on their time table, and for me to pick it up to read and check on my timetable. Naturally, there’s some amount of joyful chaos during any day juggling so many agendas, but I love knowing where our resources and work are right when I need it; you too?

That said, you do not need a lot of space to create an office for your homeschool. Books and guides can reside on any bookshelf in the home, and notebooks pre-filled with cardstock, page-protectors, and folders can be a wonderful way to keep tabs on learning in the younger years. For those of you gathering artwork, workbook pages, writing assignments, or tests from your children, keeping a single spot to receive them will be a gift for all of you. This is the first year we are using this system, and already I can see the benefits.

When I partnered with Staples this month, I knew I needed some help. As a homeschooler, I love shopping online for specific needs, but walking through the store is helpful for feeling products and pulling together ideas, whether supplies, resources, or organization tools. In fact, according to a recent survey commissioned by Staples and Fatherly, 85% of parents prefer to do their back-to-school in stores. Surprising, right? The Staples associates were so helpful and directive, going out of their way to answer questions and help me find the right things for our home, from folders with metallic unicorns for my daughter to art supplies, calculators, clipboards, and now file folders that would look nice on my kitchen counter. Maybe I decided the final part about the kitchen counter, but having Staples associates available to answer any and all questions was a game changer, especially as a homeschooler when I do not have a schoolteacher to share their additional expertise.

I wanted to create a small homeschool office in our kitchen, one that fit functionally and aesthetically with the rest of our home, and I needed a system that was simple enough for each of us to follow and lovely enough to not want to move it to a closet. I immediately loved these folders and file sorter for our space, and they’re exactly what we needed! But Staples had so many other lovely choices, too, like these bright Poppin’ paper trays. I even picked up a planning notebook to keep ideas, questions, books, and grading for all of the children in one place this year. (But if you’re looking for something a bit fancier than a Moleskine planner or simple spiral, the Day Designer definitely caught my eye.)

To set up our new system, I labeled each of the files with one of my children’s names for the front sorter. Anytime they finish something that they need me to read, revise, or grade, they simply drop it in their file. This allows them the freedom to hand-off their completed work while saving me from collecting random papers throughout the day. High-five! I check their files as I have time and record grades for the older ones in the back of the planning notebook, then hand them back for final drafts or to go in their page protectors inside their notebooks. In the back section of the file sorter, I keep a large envelope to hold any important papers I might need to keep track of during the year, along with the planning notebook and curriculum guides for the elder ones. The kids each have folders in their notebooks for their random papers, and I have a system for my own. There is a printer and laptop we use nearby and fresh paper in the cabinet below. Everything has a place this year, and I’m thrilled! It’s incredible how a square foot of well-used space can create an office for our homeschool, but it is exactly what I needed. How do you keep all of the papers ordered and in place? Also, to see our larger supply list and how we create our notebooks, read here.